``I was released (from detention) at 9:00 PM on a cold November night with another detainee from Latin America. Neither of us were dressed for the weather. We found ourselves in an industrial area in a city we didn¹t know anything about and without any idea of where we to go. I was able to call First Friends, which sent a volunteer to pick me up. He brought me a warm coat and took me to his home where I stayed for several days. ``

A FRIEND DETAINED

POST-RELEASE SERVICES

``I visited a young man, who was afraid of being persecuted for being gay if he got deported back to Ghana where he had been born. I visited him once a week for a couple of months. We got on well, and we became quite close. The day he was granted asylum he called from the courthouse to share the news. Sharing that moment of relief and victory with him felt great.``

A VOLUNTEER

VISITING A DETAINEE

`` When I arrived at the airport, I immediately asked for asylum and was handcuffed like a criminal and taken to the Elizabeth detention center. From the moment I stepped through the door was the last I would see or go outside for eight months. I worried, because I couldn¹t tell my family where I was. The food was terrible and only had a vague idea of what would happen to me. Some of the detainees who had been there for a long time were acting in disturbing ways. I felt isolated and alone.``

A DETAINED FRIEND FROM AFRICA

QUOTE OF A DETAINED FRIEND ON BEING DETAINED